Rescue dogs for adoption and rehoming in and around Liverpool

None of the dog rescues we list has its centre inside the City of Liverpool, so be ready to travel. The nearest is Freshfields Animal Rescue at Ince Blundell in Sefton, about 8 miles north. Across the Dee, North Clwyd Animal Rescue is at Trelogan in Flintshire, in North Wales, about 16 miles away, and it takes adopters from Merseyside.

To the east, Warrington Animal Welfare is on Slutchers Lane in Warrington, and Manchester & Cheshire Dogs' Home has its Cheshire home at Grappenhall, near Warrington. Greyhounds come from Makants Greyhound Rescue N.W at Tyldesley, and from Home Run Hounds North West at Rixton, and Labradors from Labrador Rescue (North West Area) at Eccleston, near Chorley. Our Liverpool dog rescues guide compares them all.

Greenleaf Animal Rescue and Many Tears Animal Rescue place dogs in foster homes, so each dog's page says where it is. Every profile here links to the rescue that cares for the dog, and you apply with them: we don't rehome dogs ourselves.

In England, if you find a stray dog and can't contact the owner, you must report it to the council. Liverpool City Council's stray dog page says Acorn Kennels Limited runs the stray dog and kennelling service for the city, and it may ask you to keep hold of the dog until it can collect.

Strays are kept for a maximum of seven days, and dogs not claimed by then are given to Acorn Kennels Limited for rehoming (the council's page). That covers the City of Liverpool only: neighbouring councils such as Sefton and Knowsley run their own services, and we don't list stray kennel dogs.

Most Liverpool-area rescues that publish a fee ask £175 to £250 for an adult dog: a £175 homing donation at Makants Greyhound Rescue N.W, £200 at North Clwyd Animal Rescue and Manchester & Cheshire Dogs' Home, £220 at Freshfields Animal Rescue for applications made from 15 October 2026, and £250 or more at Warrington Animal Welfare.

Puppies cost more: £250 at North Clwyd Animal Rescue and Manchester & Cheshire Dogs' Home, and £500 for a puppy under 12 months at Warrington Animal Welfare (its fee page). North Clwyd asks a £20 deposit when you reserve a dog, which is its own published process, and Greenleaf Animal Rescue asks you to donate what you can.

The fee pays towards vet work already done. At Freshfields it covers a microchip, vaccinations, flea and worm treatment and neutering (how to adopt).

Each rescue sets its own adoption fee. Dogs Trust charges £300 for a puppy or adult dog in England, Wales and Scotland, and Blue Cross fees start from £235 for dogs aged 8 or over and £335 for dogs aged 1 to 7. The fee usually covers neutering, microchipping and first vaccinations, and each rescue confirms its own fee.

Each rescue sets its own rules, and these are the ones Liverpool adopters meet most often (how to choose a Liverpool rescue). Check them before you apply.

• Young children. Freshfields Animal Rescue can't rehome dogs to families with children aged 5 or under, Warrington Animal Welfare doesn't rehome to families with children under 5, and North Clwyd Animal Rescue won't rehome its stray dogs where there are children under 5, or any dog where there is a child under 2.
• Renting. Freshfields and Warrington Animal Welfare both ask for evidence of your landlord's permission, so get it in writing first.
• Garden and road. North Clwyd's home check looks for a secure garden and that you don't live next to a main road (its dog page), and Makants Greyhound Rescue N.W wants a fence at least 5 foot high.
• A cat at home. Makants says its ex-racers wouldn't be suitable to live with cats; other rescues judge each dog.
• Meeting the dog. Manchester & Cheshire Dogs' Home assesses your application, then a virtual home visit comes before you meet the dog, and Makants offers a two week home trial. At North Clwyd you don't go into the kennels: staff bring each dog out to meet you (its FAQs).

Some well-known rehoming routes around Liverpool aren't on LocalPetFinder (our guide to them). Apart from Carla Lane, we don't list their dogs, so search their own sites.

• Dogs Trust Merseyside is on Whiston Lane, Huyton, about 7 miles from the city centre. You can browse on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 4pm.
• Carla Lane Animals in Need at Melling, about 8 miles north, rehomes dogs, cats and rabbits; unlike the others here, its animals are now listed with us too (our Carla Lane page).
• The RSPCA also rehomes animals; search on its own site.
• For a German Shepherd, German Shepherd Rescue names Merseyside in its North West Region; contact it directly.

Our breed guides go further on Staffies, German Shepherds, Cockapoos, Chihuahuas, Dachshunds, Shih Tzus and Pomeranians. Two rescues we list rehome retired greyhounds, so the greyhound and lurcher pages are worth watching.

Need to rehome your own dog instead? Our Liverpool rehoming page sets out the local routes, including Dogs Trust's Homestay scheme in Huyton and the waiting lists at Freshfields and Carla Lane Animals in Need.